The House of Gaian

  “There is an alternate route,” Selena said dryly. “There are roads through the Mother’s Hills.”

  Liam looked at her. “Forgive me for saying this, but the Fae are afraid to enter the Mother’s Hills, and anyone who has seen the power a witch can wield understands that fear. As for the humans…If I didn’t have a sister who was a witch, I’d think long and hard about taking my men into those hills. I’d think long and hard about it anyway.”

  Selena dismissed the sharp pang beneath her breast. There were men at home who were just as handsome, just as intelligent. She knew as much about the gentry as she knew about the Fae, which wasn’t much. The courtesy and interest he’d shown her could be nothing more than gentry manners. But the turn of conversation reminded her of the other reason she’d agreed to ride out with him.

  She turned Mistrunner to head back the way they’d come. She waited until the escorts had turned and started back down the rise before signaling Mistrunner to follow them.

  “I’ve offended you,” Liam said, matching his gelding’s pace to Mistrunner’s.

  Selena shook her head. “You merely said what the rest have been thinking. There is power among those of us who live in the Mother’s Hills. But if you enter the land of the House of Gaian and do no harm, you will come to no harm.” She smiled mischievously. “At least, not from the House of Gaian. We can make no promises for the wolves that live in the northern part of the hills or the wild pigs that live in the woodlands.”

  Liam stared at her for a moment, then smiled. “I suppose you make no promises about rabbits in the kitchen garden, squirrels in the attics, or foxes in the hen house.”

  “Of course not. If you want help with those things, you must deal with the Fae. The woods and what lives in it is their duty in the world.”

  “If the witches deal with the land and the Fae deal with the wild creatures of the woods, what’s left for humans? Where do we fit in?”

  Selena looked away, studying the land as they rode back to the Old Place. “We have an old story that says the witches and the Fae were in this land long before the first humans traveled over the mountains and the first ships touched the shore. The story doesn’t say why they made such perilous journeys, only that they were looking for a new place, a home where they could put down roots and live in peace. They promised to honor the Great Mother as the witches and the Fae honored Her, promised to give something back for the bounty they received. And while there were few of them, they did live in peace with the Fae and the Small Folk and the House of Gaian. But as more of them came to settle on what they saw as open land, free for the taking, they built fences to keep their animals in and opened the land with plows. The Daughters saw the world changing. They did not mind change, for the world is always changing and ever constant. But that was when they walked the boundaries, establishing the Old Places, the places that would belong to the wild things, so that all the Mother’s children would have a home.” She looked at Liam. “Where do your people fit in? Perhaps you were supposed to be the stewards of the tame places, just as the Fae are the stewards of the wild places. Perhaps you aren’t sure of your place because you haven’t yet learned the first lesson—to live kindly with the rest of the Mother’s children.”

  “If that’s the case, maybe the Inquisitors did us a favor,” Liam said. “Their obsession to eliminate anything and anyone who would prevent men from ruling with impunity forced the rest of us to work together again. The Fae are remembering their place in the world and humans are remembering that there are others with whom we have to share the world.” He paused. “What has the House of Gaian learned?”

  “That we, too, need to be more present in the world,” Selena replied. Getting to the subject she wanted to discuss with him wasn’t as easy as she’d thought. Well, she wasn’t that good at being subtle, so why try? “I wanted to talk to you about your sister.”

  Alarm flashed over Liam’s face before he regarded her warily. “What has Brooke done?”

  Anger sizzled under her skin, coated with disappointment. Maybe he was more cold-hearted than he seemed. “Brooke isn’t your only sister.”

  “That’s true,” Liam agreed, “but she’s the only one who would wheedle to have a third party intervene for her. If Breanna has a problem with me, she just marches up to wherever I am and yells at me.”

  Selena tried to muffle a laugh and ended up snorting, which made Mistrunner stop and turn his head to look back at her.

  “Oh, go on,” Selena said. After giving a snort of his own to let her know what he thought about these odd sounds she was making, he moved on.

  “So what does Breanna want to discuss with me that requires a third party?” Liam asked.

  “Well…she didn’t actually ask me to intervene—”

  “Ah.”

  “—but there are things a sister can’t really discuss with a brother.”

  “There’s a subject Breanna won’t discuss with me? The Mother truly is merciful.”

  The urge to stick her tongue out at him was almost overwhelming. She settled for turning prim. “Why don’t you like Falco?”

  Liam frowned, obviously confused at the turn of conversation, which wasn’t a turn at all as far as she was concerned. “I do like Falco.”

  “But you don’t approve of him as your sister’s lover.”

  “Lover?” Liam sputtered. “He’s not—They’re not—” He fumed for a minute. “It’s not that I object, it’s just—They barely know each other. There’s no need to rush into being…intimate.”

  Jackass, Selena thought, amused at the way he was blushing—and thinking it rather sweet that he would blush.

  “Liam, a few days from now, we’ll be meeting a vicious enemy on a battlefield. There is no way to tell who will walk away from that battlefield and who will travel on to the Summerland. Today may be all the time there is. Falco cares about Breanna, and she cares about him. Would you deny them the comfort and pleasure they can have from each other?”

  “I’m not denying her anything. She’d be the first to tell me it was none of my business, which isn’t true, but she’d tell me that. If she wanted to take him as a lover, she would have done so.”

  “Where? From what I’ve been told, there are so many of her kin living in the Old Place, there’s barely room there to pee in private let alone spend time with a man.”

  “If a man wants a woman, he can usually find a private place,” Liam said darkly.

  “Oh, I’m sure he can find a dark corner someplace if he wants to use a woman for a few minutes of sex—”

  “What?” Liam’s yelp made half the escorts riding ahead of them twist in their saddles, their hands reaching for weapons. He shook his head and waved at them to indicate there was no danger.

  “—but a man who wants to make love with a woman he cares about needs more than a corner of an empty stall in the barn,” Selena continued.

  “I. Do. Not. Want. To. Discuss. This.”

  “No, you just want to be pigheaded and uncaring.”

  “Uncaring? Uncaring? What do you want me to do? Throw out all the Fae and other guests staying in my house and tell Breanna she can have her choice of the guest rooms for a romp between the sheets?”

  Selena felt a tingle in her fingertips, the sizzle of temper. Remembering that the man riding beside her also sizzled when his temper rose and still hadn’t learned to completely control his gift from the Mother, she put all her desire to smack him into one word. “Jackass.”

  His mouth opened and closed, opened and closed. He reminded her so much of a hooked trout tossed up on the bank that she found his expression much more satisfying than calling him a jackass.

  “Very well, Baron Liam. You win. Your sister should remain chaste because spending time with a man she cares about would inconvenience the people who supposedly love her. Although, I suppose if there was a woman you wanted in your bed for the next few days, you’d find a way of having the privacy to have sex with her. If you deny Breanna what you’d
take for yourself, that just makes you—”

  His face was such an alarming shade of red, she forgot what she was going to call him.

  You gave his toes a good stomp that time, didn’t you? The thought made her fiercely curious to know what woman he yearned for at night but didn’t think he could approach.

  “I’ll think about it,” Liam said through gritted teeth. “I-I’ll think about it.”

  He dug his heels into his gelding’s sides. The horse leaped forward, galloped past the startled escorts. Half the escorts galloped after him. The rest stayed with her, looking anxiously over their shoulders until Varden rode up beside her.

  “Lady? Is something wrong?”

  She looked at Varden. Liam was right about that. The Fae were afraid of her. She smiled at him, wanting to put him more at ease. “No, Lord Varden, there’s nothing wrong. Baron Liam is just…acting like a man.”

  Varden frowned. “Is that a bad thing?”

  Her smile warmed with real humor. “It depends on one’s point of view. Come along. I rode through the Old Place so fast the other day, I didn’t get a good look at it.” And it will give Liamtime to find his balance again before he has to deal with having me in his house as one of his guests.

  Liam paced his study, ignoring the blend of humor and alarm on Donovan’s face as the other man stretched his legs out and slouched in a chair.

  Finally, Liam whirled around to face his friend. “Did you have sex with Gwenn before you married her?”

  Donovan stiffened, all humor gone. “That’s none of your business, Baron Liam.”

  “Don’t turn into a gentry prude, just answer the question like a man.”

  Donovan rose slowly. “What’s this about?”

  Just thinking about it made his skin hot. “Selena said Breanna wants—That Falco wants—That I’m—” He rammed his fingers through his hair and curled them into fists. “She called me a jackass.”

  Donovan settled back in his chair and stretched out his legs again. “It’s no more Lady Selena’s business than it is mine, but if I’ve translated that sputtering correctly, I have to agree with her.”

  “What?”

  “To answer your first question, yes, Gwenn and I were lovers before we married. And her brothers made my life a misery while I was trying to get to that point.”

  The pain of pulling his own hair slowly cleared Liam’s mind. He lowered his arms. “How did you get around it?”

  “I finally invited her to go for a long ride one afternoon, took her to my house, and scandalized my servants by taking her up to my room, locking the door, and spending the day in bed with her. We had quite a few long rides between the sheets after that—until the night we had a storm and I insisted that she stay overnight since I didn’t want her riding out in that weather, even if I was escorting her home. Her brothers showed up bright and early the next morning. A little too early. The House of Gaian may have more leniency when it comes to legal contracts, but they’re far stricter than any blustering gentry father when it comes to heart loyalty. Gentry men have indulged themselves often enough that the Sons of Gaian don’t always respond with enthusiasm when a man who isn’t one of their own looks toward one of the Daughters.”

  Fascinated now, Liam eased a hip onto the corner of his desk. “What did you do?”

  Donovan grinned. “Told them if they gave me a few more days, I’d convince Gwenn to marry me. Took me a little longer than I’d expected to win her family over to the idea, me being a baron and fine husband material, but in the end, I got the woman who owned my heart.”

  Liam looked away. “This isn’t the same thing.”

  “For you? Or for Breanna?”

  He felt the heat rising in his face and cursed softly.

  “Liam…” Donovan shook his head. “Breanna is a grown woman. She’s not someone whose head will be turned by flattery or florid phrases whispered in the moonlight. We’re prejudiced about the Fae. You know we are. We expect them to seduce women, enjoy them, and then leave. But I don’t think Falco is going to leave. You see a man who wants to have sex with your sister. I see a man whose eyes light up whenever he sees her. I’m not saying you should actively do anything, I’m just saying you shouldn’t stand in the way.”

  “I wasn’t aware that I was,” Liam muttered.

  “Of course you weren’t. But until you stop being a barrier between Breanna and Falco, Lady Selena will continue thinking you’re a jackass and you won’t win any ground with her.”

  Liam shifted. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Don’t you?” Donovan smiled. “I’ve seen the way your eyes light up, too, my friend.”

  Selena studied the small black dog yapping at the trees that bordered the large back lawn. “So. That’s the dog you want to give me for my sister? He doesn’t notice twenty strangers riding in with horses, but vigorously defends you against unwanted squirrels.”

  Breanna scowled. “Squirrels can be pests. Besides, he’ll notice you. Eventually.”

  “When?”

  Before Breanna could reply, Fiona walked out of the manor house and came toward them smiling. Introductions were made.

  “Here,” Fiona said. “I’ve packed an overnight bag for you.”

  “I didn’t say I was doing this,” Breanna muttered, staring at the bag on the ground in front of her.

  “You’re doing it.”

  “Doing what?” Selena asked.

  “She’s going to spend the night in Tir Alainn,” Fiona replied. “With Falco.”

  “I see.”

  Breanna shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I should wait until Liam gets back.”

  “No!” Fiona and Selena said. They looked at each other and smiled in understanding.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of falling off the shining road,” Fiona said. “You’re riding double with Falco.”

  “I’m not afraid.” Breanna narrowed her eyes. “I never said I was afraid.”

  “And if the Fae get all snotty about a witch being in their Fair Land, you can just threaten to call up a wind that will spin their little piece of their world like a child’s top. That’ll impress them.”

  A snort of laughter escaped before Selena could prevent it.

  “See? Selena agrees with me.”

  Breanna turned her narrowed eyes on Selena. “I could phoof you.”

  “Do something better with your time,” Selena replied. “Go up to Tir Alainn, find a room with a bed and a stout lock, and let the man seduce you until you’re breathless.”

  “Blessings of the day, ladies,” Falco said, leading his horse up to where they stood.

  Selena looked back and noticed how the grins on all the escorts’ faces disappeared when Breanna turned to stare at them. Falco looked adorably nervous, although she hoped his nerves settled before he got Breanna into bed.

  “Are you ready, Breanna?” Falco asked.

  “I—”

  “Yes, she is.” Fiona snatched up the bag and handed it to Falco. He tied it to the saddle, mounted, then held out a hand for Breanna. When she didn’t move, Fiona grabbed her arm and tugged her toward the horse.

  “Stop that,” Breanna hissed. “Since everyone knows why we’re going to Tir Alainn, why don’t we just strip naked and have sex in the middle of the lawn?”

  “While that would be handsomely entertaining for the rest of us,” Selena said, grabbing Breanna’s other arm, “you really should have a bit more privacy the first time.”

  “You’ll look after Gran?” Breanna said when she was mounted behind Falco.

  “I’ll look after everything,” Fiona promised. “Just forget the world for one night.”

  Falco urged his horse into a canter and headed for the woodland trail that would take them to the shining road. They disappeared into the trees just as a blond-haired girl walked out of the kitchen.

  The strength of the need to change into a shadow hound and attack was the only thing that kept Selena from making the shift. O
ne look at this girl, a complete stranger, and she wanted to rip flesh, taste blood.

  “What do you want, Jean?” Fiona said.

  “Where’s Breanna?” Jean demanded in a sulky voice.

  “She’s gone for a few hours.”

  “Where?”

  “What do you want?”

  The flash of hostility in the girl’s eyes made Selena snarl. She took a step toward the kitchen door, watched Jean’s eyes widen with apprehension. She took another step.

  Jean dashed inside the kitchen and slammed the door.

  Selena turned on Fiona, who paled. “Who is she?”

  “She’s”—Fiona nervously cleared her throat—“she’s kin. She isn’t being pampered the way she thinks she’s entitled to be. And she’s jealous of Breanna.”

  With effort, Selena leashed the shadow hound side of her nature.

  Fiona shrugged. “It’s Jean’s nature to be petty and spiteful. She wants to be married to a wealthy gentry man or, barring that, have a Fae Lord who will shower her with lavish gifts. Since none of the men have shown interest in providing for her and some are now openly hostile after being entangled in one of her love charms, she’s even more resentful of Falco’s affection for Breanna.”

  “There’s more than pettiness and spite in that one’s nature,” Selena said. She had to get away from here, had to get away from that girl before she did something that couldn’t be undone. “I’d better—” She looked over to where her escorts waited with the horses and saw Liam ride through the arch.

  Fiona sighed. “Who’s going to tell him?”

  “I’ll tell him.” There was something else she had to tell him now. Varden, too. They both needed to be watchful. She trusted her instincts, and those instincts were insisting that something inside that girl was wrong.

  “Better you than me,” Fiona said. From the open kitchen window, they heard a crash followed by raised voices. “I’ll just go sort out the latest squabble.”